Plant package and process of making



sept. 16, 1930. R. F. wEDGE 1,775,838

PLANT PACKAGE AND PROCESS OF MAKING Filed Feb. 11. 1928 lPatented Sept.l16, 193

PATENT OFFICE RALPH F. WEDGE, OF `AIILIBIEIRI LEA, MINNESOTA PLANTPACKAGE AND'rnocEss or MAKING Application filed February 11, 1928.Serial No'. 253,607.

This invention relates to a coated plant package and method of producingthe same. As is well known, plants such as young trees are now marketedin large numbers and Q'these pla-nts are lifted from the ground at thenurseries and transported to various places for sale and subsequentreplanting. It is the most common method to handle and transport suchyoung trees and plants with 10 the roots substantially free from dirt.

It is very desirable to have a plant package in which some material isheld about the roots i o va plant 1s taken and some material 5a is ofthe plant, not only to protect the roots, but

to hold moisture so that the roots will not dry out excessively and sothat some growth of the plant may continue while it is beingtransported. It is also desirable to have a plant package with suchmaterial about the roots so held in place, that the' plant can 3 betransported and displayed for sale without 'the material about the rootsbeing disintegrated and separatedfrom the roots.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a plant packagehaving a ball or block of material about the roots thereof which blockis'provided with a coating more or less waterproof.

It is also an object of the 'invention to provide'a method of forming aplant package which consists in forming a block or ball of materialabout the roots of the lplantand then dipping said ball or block ofmaterial.

into heated or boiling asphalt or other material adapted to hardenwhereby a coating is formed on said block or `ball which willsubsequently harden.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to produce a 'plantpackage comprising a block or ball of librous material such as peatplaced about the roots and stem of the plant, said block or ball thenbeing 13A/16th of an inch in thickness.

dipped 1n liquid or boiling asphalt or other material, so that a coating-adheres to the same, which coating subsequently hardens.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which 60 like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a plant package formed in accordance with thepresent invention, a part thereof being broken away and other portionsbeing shown in vertical section; and,

Fig. 2 is a section through the lower portionA of the plant and package,said section being taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. l, asindicated by thea-rrow.

In accordance with the present invention,

placed about the roots and lower portion 5b of the stemthereof, o r somematerial is left about the roots and stem when the plant is lifted from'the ground. This material is then formed into the desired shape. Thematerial about the roots may be the earth in, which the plant wasgrowing, may be clay, or the same may be of a more fibrous nature'. Ifdesired, raw peat may be placed about the roots and pressed into thedesired shape. When the material has been so placed and formed, a bodyof material 5c of definite shape is attached to the plant. After thebody of material is thus formed about the plant, the same is dipped intoheated liquid suchas asphalt, which may be at theboiling point when thebody is dipped therein. When the body is so dipped in the asphalt, alayer of the asphalt adheres thereto, the latter penetrating somewhatinto said body and after the body of material is withdrawn, said layerhardens. A coating 6 of asphalt or other similar bituminous material isthus formed about the body of the material on the lant, extendingentirely around said body rom the stem of the plant. This coating isquite thin and on a small plant the coating will be approximately Aftenthe body of material is thus formed about the plant and the coatingapplied thereto, a plant package is formed, which can be readilytransported and handled for sale, without any of the material about theroots of the plant'being knocked loose or dropping of. The coating issubstantially water- Proof, and Gtiely prev/@nts the evaporation ofmoisture from the body-oflmateria'l about the plant so that'the rootsand stem of condition, While itv isvbeing offered for sale.

The plant Will also'readily start growth 'when against replanted. When-the plant is replanted, thecoating will' be removed from the body ofthe material on the plant.v The" coating can be easily and quicklypeeled olf from the material about Athe plant. `'The readily absorbwater and disintegrate. The

`method of dipping the plant to form a coat'-, ing thereon `is alsoquite inexpensive, and

the material and labor cost is much less than 'Where a coatingof b urlap:or other materiali gis placed aboutthe plant.` The covering of vasphalt orother Water-proof material is also vof-small Weight and thepackage weighs av great deal less than a package which has been pottedinthe ordinary crockery pot. While the asphaltcoatinghardens to agreatextent, it remains soft Aand pliable and'doesnot become brittle..The packages therefore,

i will stand considerable jamming and pressure Without any danger of thecoating vbe'- ing disrupted or fractured, as the same merely gives moreorlesstothepressure of other obj ects.

. While it is at the vpresent time considered preferable to have thebody of ma terial about the roots of the plant dipped in the heatedcoating materiahit will be apparent that the coating can also be appliedby spraying or being painted on thebody of material. The purpose of theinvention broadly is to provide a coating about the material on theplant which may be Waterproof and is adaptedto harden. The coating canalso be applied to paper, burlap,= or other sheet material wrappedaround the material on the plant so that thel edges ofthe paper orburlap ,will be held together by the coating and kept in place so thatno sewing or tying vvis necessary. The coating can also be readilyapplied to material about the roots of plants which have been potted.

The material is simply taken from the pot and dipped into the coatingsolution so that the coating is applied to the' material about theroots. This material will have the shape` of the pot in which it hadbeen contained.- vWhen the package vis first removed from-the liquid andbefore the same completely hardens, it is easy to stick a label againstthe side of the coating so thatl the label will adhere firmly thereto.The plants can thus` be easily and effectively labeled and advertisingvmatter can-be easily placed on the package. v

From the above description itis seen that cessful and eflicient.coating` being Waterproof, thestructure is ,1 more desirable forhandling in stores and b'eing sold over the counter, asv it will notapplicant has provided a very simple and efficient method of applying'jacoating about the'material surrounding the roots and stem of the plant.The coating is easily, rapidly and inexpensively applied, and as aboveset forth, is preferably Waterproof. The moisture is thusA held in thematerialandv the materialis protected in thesub'sequent4 trans-linventionhas been amply demonstrated in actual practlce and found tobevery suc- 'It Will,'of c 'ursebeunderstood that vatails, V,arrangementand proportions of the product, and in the steps and sequence of'portation and-'handling of the plant. The

Y 4rions'changesmay be made in the form, de-l steps ofthe,method,.without departingfrom the scope of' applicants invention,which,

generally stated, consists in a method and -product capable of carryingout' the objects above set forth, such as disclosedy and: de-

lined in the appended claims. Y

What is claimed is :e 4 -1. The process of producing a coated plantpackage for a small tree .or similar plant, which consists in forming abody of material of definite shape directly about the roots of a plantand then applying a liquid tov said v body, which liquid' is 'adapted toharden and then subjecting said body to a temperature'in which saidliquid vvill harden whereby a coli.-

tinuous coating i's formed about said roots.

2. The'method of producing a coated plant package for a small tree lorsimilar plant, which consists in formin a quantity of material into abody of de nite shape directly about the roots of the plant and thendipping said body into a heated Waterproofing liquid adaptedsubsequently to harden to cause said liquid to adhere to said body andform a Waterproof coating thereon, and then subjecting said body to atemperature in which said coatingA will cool and harden. v

3. The method of producing a coated'plant package for a small tree orsimilar plant, which consists in forming a quantity .of

stem of a plant to forma permanent body of definite shape, then dippingsaid body into a highly heated bituminous liquid adapted to harden whencooled to form a coating of said liquid about said body, and thensubjecting said body to a temperature Ain which said coating willharden. v

4. The process of producing a plant packv fibrous material directlyabout the roots and Y i age for a small tree or 'similar'plant, whichconsists in forming a quantity of raw peat directly about and betweenthe roots and stem of a plant into a body of permanent shape and thendipping lsaid body of peat into boiling asphalt whereby said asphaltadheres to said i body and penetrates the same .to some degree to forma.A coating entirely thereabout, said stem only protruding, and thensubjecting.

said body to a temperature in which said coating will harden.

5.,A coated plant package comprising a plant, such as a youn tree havinga quantity of material of defimte shape about and in direct contact withthe stem and roots thereof, which body of material is provided with acontinuous coating of material formed from a liquid adapted to harden.

6. A coated package comprising a plant, such `as a young tree having aquantity7 of fibrous material disposed about and embed-v ding the rootsthereof, said quantity forming a body of definite shape and a continuouscoating of waterproof material adhering to and surrounding said body,body only protruding.

7.A A coated plant package comprising a plant, such as a young tree,having a quantity of peat, which has been formed into a body of definiteshape directly about the roots thereof so as to embed the same; saidbody being surrounded with a continuous coating f of bituminousmaterial.

v plant, such as a young tree,

8. A coated plant package comprising a plant, such as a young tree,havin a quantity of peatcompressed about an between the roots 'and lowerportion of the stem thereof to form a body of definite shape, and acontinuous coating of waterproof material adhering to and surroundingsaid body.

9. A coated plant package, comprising a having a quantity of peatdisposed about the roots and lower portion of the stem thereof and whichhas been formed into a body of denite shape so that saidroots areembedded therein, which body`is'surrounded by a continuous coating ofasphalt adhering thereto. f

10. The process of producing a coated -plant package for a young tree orsimilar lant which consists in forming a quantity o raw peat directlyabout and between the roots of said .plant and into a bod of permanentshape and then coating said ody over its entire surface with awaterproof coating, the stem only of said plant protruding through saidcoatlng.

11. The process of producing a coated package which consists in ressinga bo y of moisture-containing materlal about the roots vof a plant toform said body into a definite shape, then coating said body with awaterroof material over the whole surface of said od so that only thestem of the plant protru es through said coating. In testimony whereofIV aii'ix my signature.

RALPH vF. WEDGE.

the stem of said lant f

